Ski-Doo snowmobile caught mid flight – Jan 1969

This is a photo of a ski-doo snowmobile that has caught the action as the rider jumps.

The identification of the snowmobile as a Ski-Doo was simple as it’s clearly visible on the side panel. Also, the bright yellow colour scheme and the long, narrow skis with looped tips are apparently very characteristic of late 1960s to early 1970s Ski-Doo models. The registration-style marking of “ME 15616” is interesting: “ME” is very probably Maine, which required snowmobile registration numbers displayed like this which suggests this photo was taken in the USA, rather than Europe or the UK.

Other interesting points are the the rider is not wearing any form of helmet which would be required to comply with modern safety rules and the fact that the photo is well exposed. Exposing for snow is simple enough, but it’s the sort of thing that an amateur who just relied on auto exposure would get wrong which would result in under exposure – this photographer clearly knew both how to expose the shot and how to freeze the action.